Appleseed Modern Diner in New Glasgow offers local fare, family focus

“We’re just in the final stages of construction,” David Cohen, owner of the Appleseed Modern Diner in New Glasgow, said in an interview Monday.

The new business, which Cohen said he hopes to have ready to open by next Monday, will feature family-friendly dining with local fare.

Some of the suppliers listed on Appleseed’s website include: Gennoe’s Bakery and the Pork Shop Speciality Market & Deli, both in New Glasgow; Uncle Leo’s Brewery from outside Pictou; Blomidon Estate Winery outsideCanning; and Garrison Brewing Co. and Acadian Maple Products, both of the Halifax area.

“We feel that there’s a demand for this sort of dining in Nova Scotia and rural Nova Scotia specifically,” Cohen said.

“You guys in the big city have been enjoying local fare and fresh food and high-end chefs for a long time and we feel that this part of the province deserves it as well, to provide scratch-made, fresh, quality food choices.”

The restaurant has hired Jeff McInnis, formerly the executive chef at the Five Fishermen Restaurant & Grill in Halifax, as head chef and kitchen manager.

“I was a very lucky man to get someone of his talents,” Cohen said.

The family-friendly eatery is opening in a new building on MacGregor Avenue that will also house the Sparkles Family Entertainment Centre, which is also across the street from the Pictou County Wellness Centre.

“Pairing with the family fun centre next door and the wellness centre across the street, we’ve got lots of young people and young families, and we want to cater to that sort of demographic,” Cohen said.

Work on the new building is close to completion and he’s “hoping” the New Glasgow eatery will be ready to open by next Monday.